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Jason Blake
| birth_place = Moorhead, Minnesota | draft = Undrafted | career_start = 1999 | career_end = 2012 }} Jason Blake (born Jason Wayne Blake on September 2, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs & the Anaheim Ducks. Playing Career Jason played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Collegiately, he played one year at Ferris State University before transferring the University of North Dakota, and starred on their 1996-1997 National Championship team. He was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Kings in 1999. In January 2001, he was acquired by the New York Islanders in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, who received a conditional pick in 2002 where he set career highs in goals and points during the 2005–06 season with 28 and 57, respectively. The following season, Jason topped both totals, scoring 40 goals and 69 points (the 40th goal was scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 5, 2007). Along with Islanders teammates Rick DiPietro and Mark Parrish, Jason was part of Team USA at the Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy in February 2006. Team USA was led by Peter Laviolette, his former coach with the Islanders. On October 31, 2006, he scored his 99th and 100th career NHL goals against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The milestone 100th goal came on the power play late in the 3rd period. He was named an all-star for the first time in his career during the 2006–07 NHL season where he recorded 2 assists in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Jason became an unrestricted free agent. He was quoted in Newsday in February 2007 saying that he would probably test the free agent market if not re-signed by the Islanders prior to the NHL trading deadline. Jason was neither traded nor re-signed before the deadline and on July 1, 2007, he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-year contract worth US $20 million. On October 8, 2007, Jason announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare, but highly treatable form of cancer. He continued to play for the Maple Leafs for the rest of the season. In Jason's first season with Toronto he played in all 82 regular season games. He scored 15 goals and added 37 assists for a total of 52 points. While he managed a considerable number of points, he struggled to score goals all season, having over 300 shots on goal, easily a career high, but only 15 goals. Jason was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the end of the season for perseverance and dedication to hockey through the difficult times he faced after being diagnosed with cancer. In the 2009–10 season, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks along with Vesa Toskala for Jean-Sebastien Giguere on January 31, 2010. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International Accolades *1993–94: Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award (USHL) *2006–07: Played in All-Star Game (NHL) *2007–08: Won the Bill Masterton Trophy (NHL) Category:1973 births Category:American ice hockey players Category:American ice hockey left wingers Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:New York Islanders players Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players Category:Anaheim Ducks players Category:Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winners Category:Waterloo Black Hawks players Category:North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey players Category:Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) players Category:Long Beach Ice Dogs players Category:Lowell Lock Monsters players Category:HC Lugano players